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Except for one thing.

They're more familiar with typing out their thoughts than many VHS™ students because most of these students have used a TTY, a telephone system with a keyboard for the deaf.

"One of the great benefits for deaf students of participating in the VHS class is that communication with hearing teachers and peers is much more direct than using interpreters," explains Joyce Barrett, site coordinator for the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD). The school is located on the campus of Gallaudet University, the only university in the world for deaf and hard of hearing students.

Last fall five girls and five boys from MSSD were the first deaf students to sign up for VHS. At the beginning of the term Barrett contacted the VHS teachers who had her students and explained that they were from MSSD. But it was up to the discretion of the students themselves whether they wanted to divulge their deafness to their classmates. Some didn't, and some did. Those who didn't said it was because it was unnecessary. For those who did, the response that one student received was typical of all: "They treat me just the same." Those students who did tell their classmates were unanimous in saying they received a positive response.

What attracted the ten MSSD students to VHS was the opportunity to work independently and the challenging quality of the courses. As with many VHS students, the ability to take courses not offered at their own school was also a big motivation. They dove into everything from astronomy and poetics to government issues, photography, and sailing. "I love working independently," one student said in an MSSD survey. "I was very motivated because I had to depend on myself." Several students especially enjoyed the amount they were learning and the feeling of accomplishment, which one student described as more like a college-level seminar.

Many of the problems they encountered were things that any VHS student might complain about: the server going down, having to wait for a response from a teacher to a posted question, or the cancellation of a class. One challenge for some deaf students is the fact that written English is like a second language for them. American Sign Language is their first language. Consequently, some, but not all, might need help understanding the meaning of a statement or a word, much the same way an ESL student would.

But these challenges were not insurmountable. In fact, many students relished the higher expectations. According to Ron Baldi, one of two MSSD teachers who supervises the VHS students, "One of the most satisfying things for me as a teacher is seeing our students succeed in a program with hearing students. The VHS program puts them on a fairly equal footing as far as accessibility goes... I've already seen carry over of experiences our students have gained in VHS into the classes here at MSSD, which has enhanced their background knowledge of subject areas and improved their performance in classes."

Early on MSSD recognized that as the first deaf school in VHS, they were the pioneer of pioneers, and so they decided to provide their students with additional support: a site coordinator as well as two supervising teachers. The extra support has paid off, and according to Mary Ellsworth, the other MSSD supervising teacher, there are benefits for everyone. "The students had an excellent experience with in-depth learning and real world expectations, which is very critical for their success in the future. I can think of no better way to have them do it - connected, yet supported by the environment here at MSSD." As a teacher she also has gained from observing the work of VHS teachers. "There are very creative teachers in VHS modeling excellent technique," she says.

But there are things for VHS teachers to learn as well. An assignment that includes listening to music or watching a movie can leave a deaf student unable to participate. Ironically, multimedia files, whose combina- tion of sound and visuals is generally treated as a great leap forward in online education, are a problem for deaf students unless the file is also captioned.

Although there have been some hurdles to overcome, MSSD remains committed to VHS. "The Virtual High School project not only enables students to participate in an endeavor that is reflective of future trends," observes Katherine Jankowski, the school's director, "but allows them to participate with their hearing peers from all over the United States on a level playing field."

Barrett hopes that one day a Deaf Studies class could be offered in VHS which would cover deaf culture and issues, including information on how interpreters, TTYs, and sign language are used. She also hopes that mainstreamed deaf students, who may feel isolated in schools where there are not many students like themselves, might be motivated and encouraged to participate in VHS if they knew there were other deaf students in their classes. "Just a thought," Barrett says. But the idea of any deaf student joining VHS was just a thought once, too.

Lee McDavid is director of communications at The Concord Consortium. Lee@concord.org

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